Coating fabrication method for producing engineered microstructure of silicate-resistant barrier coating

ABSTRACT

A coating fabrication method includes providing engineered granules and thermally consolidating the engineered granules on a substrate to form a silicate-resistant barrier coating. Each of the engineered granules is an aggregate of at least one refractory matrix region and at least one calcium aluminosilicate additive region (CAS additive region) attached with the at least one refractory matrix region. In the thermal consolidation, the refractory matrix region from the engineered granules form grains of a refractory matrix of the silicate-resistant barrier coating and the CAS additive region from the engineered granules form CAS additives that are dispersed in grain boundaries between the grains.

BACKGROUND

Components in a gas turbine engine often include barrier coatings toprotect the underlying component from the effects of the severeoperating environment. Barrier coatings are available in numerousvarieties, which can include thermal barrier coatings and environmentalbarrier coatings. Thermal barrier coatings are typically designed formaximizing thermal insulation of a component from the surroundinghigh-temperature environment. Environmental barrier coatings aretypically designed for maximizing resistance of infiltration or attackby the environment.

SUMMARY

A coating fabrication method according to an example of the presentdisclosure includes providing engineered granules. Each engineeredgranule is an aggregate of at least one refractory matrix region, and atleast one calcium aluminosilicate additive region (CAS additive region)attached with the at least one refractory matrix region. The engineeredgranules are then thermally consolidated on a substrate to form asilicate-resistant barrier coating. In the thermal consolidation atleast one refractory matrix region from the engineered granules formsgrains of a refractory matrix of the silicate-resistant barrier coatingand at least one CAS additive region from the engineered granules formsCAS additives that are dispersed in grain boundaries between the grains.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule is a mixed granule that has a plurality of therefractory matrix regions and a plurality of the CAS additive regionsattached with the plurality of refractory matrix regions.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule is a core/shell granule in which the at least onerefractory matrix region is a coarse core particle and the at least oneCAS additive region is a plurality of fine shell particles attached onthe coarse core particle.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule is a core/shell granule in which the at least onerefractory matrix region is a coarse core particle and the at least oneCAS additive region is a shell coating attached on the coarse coreparticle.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule is selected from a mixed granule, a core/shellgranule, or combinations thereof. The mixed granule has a plurality ofthe refractory matrix regions and a plurality of the CAS additiveregions attached with the plurality of refractory matrix regions, andthe core/shell granule in which the at least one refractory matrixregion is a coarse core particle and the at least one CAS additiveregion is selected from a plurality of fine shell particles attached onthe coarse core particle and a shell coating on the coarse coreparticle.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region is selected from zirconia, hafnia,hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earthoxides, mullite, silica, aluminum oxide and combinations thereof, andthe at least one CAS additive region includes SiO₂, AlO_(1.5), and CaO.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, thesubstrate is a ceramic matrix composite composed of silicon carbidefibers in a silicon carbide matrix.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one CAS additive region is attached with the at least onerefractory matrix region by sintering.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one CAS additive region is attached with the at least onerefractory matrix region by electrostatic force.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one CAS additive region is attached with the at least onerefractory matrix region by a binder.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region has a size of greater than 10micrometers, and the at least one CAS additive region has a size of lessthan 5 micrometers.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region has a size of less than 5micrometers, and the at least one CAS additive region has a size of lessthan 5 micrometers.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule additionally includes at least one auxiliaryrefractory matrix region attached with the at least one refractorymatrix region and the at least one CAS additive region, and in thethermal consolidation the refractory matrix region and the auxiliaryrefractory matrix region form the grains of the refractory matrix of thesilicate-resistant barrier coating.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the thermalconsolidation includes thermally consolidating the engineered granuleswith auxiliary refractory matrix regions, and the refractory matrixregion of the engineered granules and the auxiliary refractory matrixregions form the grains of the refractory matrix of thesilicate-resistant barrier coating.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, theproviding of the engineered granules includes forming the at least onerefractory matrix region and the at least one CAS additive region intothe aggregate.

A gas turbine engine article according to an example of the presentdisclosure includes a substrate, and a silicate-resistant barriercoating disposed on the substrate. The silicate-resistant barriercoating has an engineered microstructure including a refractory matrixformed of grains, and calcium aluminosilicate additive (CAS additive)dispersed in grain boundaries between the grains.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, therefractory matrix is selected from zirconia, hafnia, hafnium silicate,zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earth oxides, mullite,silica, aluminum oxide, or combinations thereof, and the CAS additiveincludes SiO₂, AlO_(1.5), and CaO.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, thesilicate resistant barrier coating includes, by mol. %, 0.1 to 30 of theCAS additive.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, thesilicate resistant barrier coating includes, by mol. %, 3 to 8 of theCAS additive.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the CASadditive includes, by mol. %, 30 to 90 of SiO₂, 5 to 20 of AlO_(1.5),and 10 to 50 of CaO.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule is an aggregate of at least one refractory matrixregion and at least one calcium aluminosilicate additive region (CASadditive region) attached with the at least one refractory matrixregion.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidgranule is selected from a mixed granule, a core/shell granule, orcombinations thereof. The mixed granule has a plurality of therefractory matrix regions and a plurality of the CAS additive regionsattached with the plurality of refractory matrix regions, and thecore/shell granule in which the at least one refractory matrix region isa coarse core particle and the at least one CAS additive regions isselected from a plurality of fine shell particles attached on the coarsecore particle and a shell coating on the coarse core particle.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region is selected from zirconia, hafnia,hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earthoxides, mullite, silica, aluminum oxide, and combinations thereof, andthe at least one CAS additive region includes SiO₂, AlO_(1.5), and CaO.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one CAS additive region is attached with the at least onerefractory matrix region by sintering, by electrostatic force, or by abinder.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region has a size of greater than 10micrometers, and the at least one CAS additive region has a size of lessthan 5 micrometers.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the atleast one refractory matrix region has a size of less than 5micrometers, and the at least one CAS additive region has a size of lessthan 5 micrometers.

In a further embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, each saidengineered granule additionally includes at least one auxiliaryrefractory matrix region attached with the at least one refractorymatrix region and the at least one CAS additive region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various features and advantages of the present disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can bebriefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example gas turbine engine.

FIG. 2 illustrates an article of the engine and representative sectionof the article.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example representative section.

FIG. 4 illustrates a graph that shows the chemical activity ofconstituents of an EBC and two CAS Eutectic compositions.

FIG. 5A illustrates a graph showing a range of activities of CaO as afunction of temperature for the two lowest melting eutectic compositionsin the CaO—AlO_(1.5)—SiO₂ system.

FIG. 5B illustrates a graph showing a range of activities of AlO_(1.5)as a function of temperature for the two lowest melting eutecticcompositions in the CaO—AlO_(1.5)—SiO₂ system.

FIG. 5C illustrates a graph showing a range of activities of SiO₂ as afunction of temperature for the two lowest melting eutectic compositionsin the CaO—AlO_(1.5)—SiO₂ system.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of fabricating a silicate-resistant barriercoating.

FIG. 7 illustrates an engineered microstructure of a silicate-resistantbarrier coating.

FIG. 8 illustrates a core/shell granule for the method.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example of a core/shell granule having ashell coating.

FIG. 10 illustrates a mixed granule for the method.

FIG. 11 illustrates another example of a mixed granule with auxiliaryrefractory matrix particles.

FIG. 11 illustrates a variation with a granule and separate auxiliaryrefractory matrix particles.

FIG. 13 illustrates a sintered attachment between particles.

FIG. 14 illustrates an electrostatic attachment between particles.

FIG. 15 illustrates a binder attachment between particles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a gas turbine engine 20. The gasturbine engine 20 is disclosed herein as a two-spool turbofan thatgenerally incorporates a fan section 22, a compressor section 24, acombustor section 26 and a turbine section 28. The fan section 22 drivesair along a bypass flow path B in a bypass duct defined within a nacelle15, and also drives air along a core flow path C for compression andcommunication into the combustor section 26 then expansion through theturbine section 28. Although depicted as a two-spool turbofan gasturbine engine in the disclosed non-limiting embodiment, it should beunderstood that the concepts described herein are not limited to usewith two-spool turbofans as the teachings may be applied to other typesof turbine engines including three-spool architectures.

The exemplary engine 20 generally includes a low speed spool 30 and ahigh speed spool 32 mounted for rotation about an engine centrallongitudinal axis A relative to an engine static structure 36 viaseveral bearing systems 38. It should be understood that various bearingsystems 38 at various locations may alternatively or additionally beprovided, and the location of bearing systems 38 may be varied asappropriate to the application.

The low speed spool 30 generally includes an inner shaft 40 thatinterconnects, a first (or low) pressure compressor 44 and a first (orlow) pressure turbine 46. The inner shaft 40 is connected to the fan 42through a speed change mechanism, which in exemplary gas turbine engine20 is illustrated as a geared architecture 48 to drive a fan 42 at alower speed than the low speed spool 30. The high speed spool 32includes an outer shaft 50 that interconnects a second (or high)pressure compressor 52 and a second (or high) pressure turbine 54. Acombustor 56 is arranged in exemplary gas turbine 20 between the highpressure compressor 52 and the high pressure turbine 54. A mid-turbineframe 57 of the engine static structure 36 may be arranged generallybetween the high pressure turbine 54 and the low pressure turbine 46.The mid-turbine frame 57 further supports bearing systems 38 in theturbine section 28. The inner shaft 40 and the outer shaft 50 areconcentric and rotate via bearing systems 38 about the engine centrallongitudinal axis A which is collinear with their longitudinal axes.

The core airflow is compressed by the low pressure compressor 44 thenthe high pressure compressor 52, mixed and burned with fuel in thecombustor 56, then expanded over the high pressure turbine 54 and lowpressure turbine 46. The mid-turbine frame 57 includes airfoils 59 whichare in the core airflow path C. The turbines 46, 54 rotationally drivethe respective low speed spool 30 and high speed spool 32 in response tothe expansion. It will be appreciated that each of the positions of thefan section 22, compressor section 24, combustor section 26, turbinesection 28, and fan drive gear system 48 may be varied. For example,gear system 48 may be located aft of the low pressure compressor, or aftof the combustor section 26 or even aft of turbine section 28, and fan42 may be positioned forward or aft of the location of gear system 48.

The engine 20 in one example is a high-bypass geared aircraft engine. Ina further example, the engine 20 bypass ratio is greater than about six(6), with an example embodiment being greater than about ten (10), thegeared architecture 48 is an epicyclic gear train, such as a planetarygear system or other gear system, with a gear reduction ratio of greaterthan about 2.3 and the low pressure turbine 46 has a pressure ratio thatis greater than about five. In one disclosed embodiment, the engine 20bypass ratio is greater than about ten (10:1), the fan diameter issignificantly larger than that of the low pressure compressor 44, andthe low pressure turbine 46 has a pressure ratio that is greater thanabout five 5:1. Low pressure turbine 46 pressure ratio is pressuremeasured prior to inlet of low pressure turbine 46 as related to thepressure at the outlet of the low pressure turbine 46 prior to anexhaust nozzle. The geared architecture 48 may be an epicycle geartrain, such as a planetary gear system or other gear system, with a gearreduction ratio of greater than about 2.3:1 and less than about 5:1. Itshould be understood, however, that the above parameters are onlyexemplary of one embodiment of a geared architecture engine and that thepresent invention is applicable to other gas turbine engines includingdirect drive turbofans.

A significant amount of thrust is provided by the bypass flow B due tothe high bypass ratio. The fan section 22 of the engine 20 is designedfor a particular flight condition—typically cruise at about 0.8 Mach andabout 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). The flight condition of 0.8 Mach and35,000 ft (10,668 meters), with the engine at its best fuelconsumption—also known as “bucket cruise Thrust Specific FuelConsumption (‘TSFC’)”—is the industry standard parameter of lbm of fuelbeing burned divided by lbf of thrust the engine produces at thatminimum point. “Low fan pressure ratio” is the pressure ratio across thefan blade alone, without a Fan Exit Guide Vane (“FEGV”) system. The lowfan pressure ratio as disclosed herein according to one non-limitingembodiment is less than about 1.45. “Low corrected fan tip speed” is theactual fan tip speed in ft/sec divided by an industry standardtemperature correction of [(Tram ° R)/(518.7° R)]{circumflex over( )}0.5. The “Low corrected fan tip speed” as disclosed herein accordingto one non-limiting embodiment is less than about 1150 ft/second (350.5meters/second).

FIG. 2 illustrates an example article 60, with a representative sectionof the article 60 shown in the encircled inset. In the illustratedexample, the article 60 is a turbine vane (see also FIG. 1 ). It is tobe understood, however, that the article 60 is not limited to vanes andthat although a vane is shown the examples herein are also applicable toblades, outer air seals, or other engine components, particularly thosethat are exposed to combustion gases.

The article 60 includes a substrate 62 and a coating system 64 disposedon the substrate 62. For example, the substrate 62 is formed of aceramic, such as a silicon-containing ceramic. The ceramic may be amonolithic ceramic or a ceramic matrix composite (“CMC”). One exampleCMC is SiC/SiC in which SiC fibers (designated at 62 a in FIG. 2 ) aredisposed within a SiC matrix (designated at 62 b in FIG. 2 ). Forexample, the substrate 62 is generally a self-supporting structure thatdefines the geometry of the article 60 or a portion thereof, as opposedto a conformal coating.

Engine components may be exposed to relatively severe temperatures andenvironmental conditions during operation. Such conditions can reducethe durability of ceramics, such as silicon-containing ceramics andsilicon carbide. In particular, high velocity, high pressure water vaporin the combustion gases reacts with silicon-containing ceramics such assilicon carbide to form volatile species leading to recession of thesubstrate. As such, environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are utilizedto combat recession of silicon-containing ceramics. However,silicate-containing deposits, such as calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate(“CMAS”), from dirt/debris can deposit on engine component surfaces. Thesilicate-containing deposits can be molten at times, and this viscousliquid can undesirably react with and wick into an environmental barriercoating and ultimately cause sintering, loss of compliance, andspallation. In this regard, as will be described further below, thecoating system 64 serves as an environmental barrier coating that isdesigned to protect the underlying substrate 62 from steam recessionand, in particular, resist infiltration of the silicate-containingdeposits.

The coating system 64 at least includes a silicate-resistant barriercoating 66 (“coating 66”). As used herein, a “coating” refers to acontinuous, relatively thin, substantially uniform thickness layer. Thecoating system 64 may be a single layer configuration with only thecoating 66 but more typically will be a multi-layer configuration andinclude an intermediate bond coating 68 that is located between thecoating 66 and the substrate 62. In a multi-layer configuration thecoating 66 is a topcoat, i.e., the outermost, exposed coating.

The bond coating 68 may be a single layer or a multi-layer configurationand, in addition to bonding the coating 66 to the substrate 62, may becomposed to serve as a thermal barrier, volatilization barrier,oxidation barrier, and/or mechanical stabilizer. Although not limited,in one example the bond coating 68 is composed of a silicon-containingmatrix, such as a silica (SiO₂) matrix. In a further example, the bondcoating 68 additionally includes silicon oxycarbide particles dispersedin the silicon-containing matrix. In yet a further example, the bondcoating 68 further includes barium-magnesium aluminosilicate particlesdispersed in the silicon-containing matrix.

The coating 66 resists infiltration of silicate-containing deposits,such as CMAS, and is composed of a refractory matrix 66 a and a calciumaluminosilicate additive 66 b (“CAS additive 66 b”) dispersed in therefractory matrix 66 a. The CAS additive 66 b may reside at grainboundaries in the refractory matrix 66 a. For example, the refractorymatrix is selected from zirconia (ZrO₂), hafnia (HfO₂), hafniumsilicate, zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earth oxides,mullite, silica (SiO₂), aluminum oxide, or combinations thereof. Rareearth elements include cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er),europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium(Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm),scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium(Y). The zirconia may be a stabilized zirconia that has a rare earthoxide stabilizer, such as yttria (e.g., Y₂O₃—ZrO₂) or alkaline earthoxide stabilizer, such as calcia (e.g. CaO—ZrO₂). The rare earthsilicate may be a rare earth monosilicate (ReSiO₅), a rare earthdisilicate (Re₂Si₂O₇), or combinations thereof. The rare earth oxidesmay be of the form Re₂O₃, ReO₂, or other stoichiometry corresponding tothe base rare earth element oxidation state. The hafnium silicate may beHf_(0.5)Si_(0.5)O₂. The zirconium silicate may be Zr_(0.5)Si_(0.5)O₂.

In one example, the CAS additive 66 b includes, by mol. %, 30 to 90 ofSiO₂. The units of mol. % used herein refer to mole percentages ofsingle cations of the given compound. In another example, the CASadditive 66 b includes, by mol. %, 5 to 30 of AlO_(1.5). In anotherexample, the CAS additive 66 b includes, by mol. %, 10 to 50 of CaO. Inan additional example, the CAS additive 66 b includes, by mol. %, 30 to90 of SiO₂, 5 to 30 of AlO_(1.5), and 10 to 50 of CaO. As will bedescribed below in the processing methodology, one or more of theconstituents may be incorporated via a binder, such as colloidal silica.

In another example, where X¹, X², and X³ are variables that sum to 100,the CAS additive 66 b includes X¹ mol. % of SiO₂, X² mol. % of CaO, andX³ mol. % of AlO_(1.5), where X¹ is greater than X² and X¹ is greaterthan X³. In a further example, X² is greater than X¹. In an additionalexample, the combined amount of X¹ and X³ is at least 50 and is no morethan 90. In yet a further example, the combined amount of X¹ and X³ isat least 70 and is no more than 90. In an additional example, thecombined amount of X² and X³ is less than X¹.

Table 1 below demonstrates additional example compositions of the CASadditive 66 b, designated as CAS-A, CAS-B, CAS-C, CAS-D, and CAS-E. Infurther examples, the mol. % of each constituent of CAS-A, CAS-B, CAS-C,CAS-D, and CAS-E given in Table 1 varies by +/−5.

TABLE 1 CAS Additive Compositions Constituent mol. % CAS-A CaO 15AlO_(1.5) 10 SiO₂ 75 CAS-B CaO 26 AlO_(1.5) 11 SiO₂ 63 CAS-C CaO 27AlO_(1.5) 13 SiO₂ 60 CAS-D CaO 43 AlO_(1.5) 14 SiO₂ 43 CAS-E CaO 28AlO_(1.5) 27 SiO₂ 45

Further examples of the CAS additive 66 b additionally includemagnesium, barium, or strontium, such as magnesium oxide (MgO), bariumoxide (BaO), or strontium oxide (SrO). The following examples are basedon MgO, but may also apply to BaO, SrO, or mixtures of two or more ofMgO, BaO, and SrO. For example, where X¹, X², X³, and X⁴ are variablesthat sum to 100, the CAS additive 66 b includes X¹ mol. % of SiO₂, X²mol. % of CaO, X³ mol. % of AlO_(1.5), and X⁴ mol. % of MgO, where X⁴ isless than X². In another example, X⁴ is also less than X³. In a furtherexample, X⁴ is also less than X¹. In additional examples, X⁴ is lessthan 10.

Table 2 below demonstrates additional example compositions of the CASadditive 66 b that include MgO (i.e. CMAS), designated as CMAS-A,CMAS-B, CMAS-C, CMAS-D, and CMAS-E. In further examples, the mol. % ofeach constituent given in Table 2 varies by +/−5, except that the MgOvaries by +/−2.

TABLE 2 CAS Additive Compositions With Magnesium Constituent Mol. %CMAS-A CaO 14 AlO_(1.5) 10 SiO₂ 71 MgO 5 CMAS-B CaO 25 AlO_(1.5) 10 SiO₂60 MgO 5 CMAS-C CaO 26 AlO_(1.5) 11 SiO₂ 58 MgO 5 CMAS-D CaO 38AlO_(1.5) 14 SiO₂ 43 MgO 5 CMAS-E CaO 27 AlO_(1.5) 26 SiO₂ 42 MgO 5

The coating 66 generally includes a minority amount (substantially lessthan 50 mol. %) of the CAS additive 66 b, with the remainder being therefractory matrix 66 a. For example, the coating 66 includes, by mol. %,0.1 to 30 of the CAS additive 66 b. In a more particular example, thecoating 66 includes 3 to 8 of the CAS additive 66 b. Table 3 belowdemonstrates additional example compositions of the coating 66,designated as Composition-1, Composition-2, and Composition-3. Forexample, the CAS additive listed for each of Composition-1,Composition-2, and Composition-3 can be the compositions of CAS-A,CAS-B, CAS-C, or CAS-D above. In further examples, the mol. % of eachconstituent of Composition-1, Composition-2, and Composition-3 given inTable 3 varies by +/−3.

TABLE 3 Silicate-Resistant Barrier Coating Compositions Constituent mol.% Composition-1 HfO₂ 0 Hf_(0.5)Si_(0.5)O₂ 95 CAS Additive 5Composition-2 HfO₂ 75 Hf_(0.5)Si_(0.5)O₂ 20 CAS Additive 5 Composition-3HfO₂ 95 Hf_(0.5)Si_(0.5)O₂ 0 CAS Additive 5

FIG. 3 illustrates another example coating system 164. In thisdisclosure, like reference numerals designate like elements whereappropriate and reference numerals with the addition of one-hundred ormultiples thereof designate corresponding modified elements. The coatingsystem 164 at least includes a silicate-resistant barrier coating 166(“coating 166”). Like the coating system 64, the coating system 164 maybe a single layer configuration or a multi-layer configuration with thebond coating 68.

There is also a silicate-containing deposit 70 (“deposit 70”) on, and incontact with, the coating 166. The deposit 70 is non-native to thecoating system 164. The term “non-native” refers to the source of thedeposit 70 being from other than the coating system 164. For instance,the coating system 164 is an engineered system, whereas the deposit 70is non-engineered and may occur from the environment of the article 60during operation or testing (e.g., from dirt/debris carried in the coregas path and combustion gases) or from artificial placement of thedeposit 70 for testing/evaluation purposes. For example, the deposit 70is CMAS.

The coating 166 has a composition that approaches chemical equilibriumwith the deposit 70 with respect to the chemical activity of theconstituent within the coating 166 and deposit 70. The chemicalactivity, represents the thermodynamic potential of the each constituentwithin a mixture with respect to the thermodynamic potential of the pureconstituent. Activity is a dimensionless quantity that is the ratio ofthe vapor pressure in equilibrium with a pure material, to the vaporpressure in equilibrium with a mixture. Without being bound by aparticular theory, the thermodynamic driving force for a species withina substance to migrate into an adjacent substance is proportional to thedifference in chemical activity between the two substances. In terms ofthe coating 166 being equilibrated with the deposit 70, this means thatthe chemical activity of the constituent in deposit 70 are notsubstantially different from the chemical activity of the constituent ofthe coating 166. As a result of being in a state of near equilibriumthere is minimal thermodynamic driving force for the deposit 70 to reactwith or diffuse into the coating 166. In contrast, if the coating 166were not equilibrated, there would be a thermodynamic driving force forthe deposit 70 to react with or diffuse into the coating 166.

In an example, the deposit 70 is CMAS and the coating 166 is composed ofthe refractory matrix 66 a and the CAS additive 66 b dispersed in therefractory matrix 66 a. For instance, the compositions of the refractorymatrix 66 a and the CAS additive 66 b are selected from the compositionsas disclosed above to be equilibrated with the CMAS.

In further examples, the composition or expected composition of thedeposit 70 may vary. For instance, the engine may be exposed todifferent compositions of dirt/debris, depending on which region of theEarth the engine is operating in. A target composition of the deposit 70can be identified, such as by estimation from known data, by experimentfrom collection of samples from engines in service, and/or byliterature. Once a target composition of the deposit 70 is identified, acomposition of the coating 166 that is equilibrated with the targetcomposition of the deposit 70 can be selected from among thecompositions disclosed herein. The following working exampledemonstrates further aspects of such an approach.

As an example, the chemical activity of coatings 166 and deposits 70 arecalculated (e.g., using the thermodynamic database FactSage). Torepresent the chemistry of typical deposits 70, two compositions werechosen that correspond to the two lowest congruent melting points in thecalcia-alumina-silica system and are labeled CAS Eutectic-1 and CASEutectic-2 in Table 4 below. A coating 166 with an “equilibratedchemistry” is denoted EBC-1 and two coatings with non-equilibratedchemistry are denoted EBC-2 and EBC-3. The graph in FIG. 4 shows theactivity of the constituent of EBC-1 are similar to CAS Eutectic-1 andCAS Eutectic-2. Conversely, EBC-2 and EBC-3 do not have the similarityin chemical activity due to the absence of CaO, AlO_(1.5).

TABLE 4 CAS and EBC compositions Constituent mol. % EBC1 ZrO2 75Zr0.5Si0.5O2 20 CAS-C 5 EBC-2 Zr0.5Si0.5O2 100 EBC-3 ZrO2 100 CAS CaO 26Eutectic-1 AlO1.5 15 SiO2 59 CAS CaO 39 Eutectic-2 AlO1.5 20 SiO2 41

The equilibrium or near equilibrium between the coating 166 and thedeposit 70 can be further described in terms of the activity of theconstituents in the coating 166 falling within the range of activitiesof one or more constituents in the deposit 70. For example, forconstituents of interest, such as CaO, AlO_(1.5), and SiO₂, a range ofactivities in deposits are identified, and then the constituents presentwith in the coating 166 are selected to be within that range. As anexample, the three primary constituents of engine deposits are calcia,alumina, and silica. From these, a range is established based on thelowest melting eutectic compositions for the constituents of interest.This is represented below in the graphs in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C for,respectively, calcia, alumina, and silica. FIG. 5A is the activity ofCaO, FIG. 5B is the activity of AlO_(1.5), and FIG. 5C is the activityof SiO₂, each as a function of temperature for the two lowest meltingeutectic compositions in the CaO—AlO_(1.5)—SiO₂ system. The shadedregions represent the target range of CAS activities in the coating 166.The lowest eutectic has a composition, by mol. %, of 25.8 CaO, 15.2Al₂O₅, and 59.0 SiO₂. The second lowest eutectice has a composition, bymol. %, of 39.3 CaO, 20.1 Al₂O₅, and 40.6 SiO₂). The “band” of activitybetween the two eutectics thus becomes the target activity and thecorresponding constituent, calcia, alumina, or silica, is selectedwithin the coating 166 in an amount that corresponds to an activity thatfalls within that activity band. In further examples, if aluminumdiffusion into a coating 166 does not have as deleterious an effect ascalcium would, the chemical potential of calcium in the coating 166 canbe designed to be equilibrated with calcium in the deposit 70. That is,the chemical potentials of one or more constituents in the coating 166is designed to be equilibrated with one or more target species in thedeposit 70.

The coating systems 64/164 disclosed herein may be fabricated usingtechniques such as, but not limited to, spray drying, sintering, plasmaspraying, slurry deposition, and combinations of various techniques.

FIG. 6 illustrates a coating fabrication method 72 that can be used toproduce the coating 66/166 with an engineered microstructure. The method72 generally includes steps 72 a and 72 b. At step 72 a engineeredgranules are provided. The engineered granules will be discussed infurther detail below, but each engineered granule is an aggregate of atleast one refractory matrix region and at least one calciumaluminosilicate additive region (CAS additive region) attached with theat least one refractory matrix region. Ultimately, the refractory matrixregion(s) of the granules will form at least a portion of the refractorymatrix 66 a in the coating 66/166 and the CAS additive region(s) of thegranules will form the CAS additive 66 b in the coating 66/166.

At step 72 b the engineered granules are thermally consolidated on thesubstrate 62 to form the coating 66/166 with the engineeredmicrostructure. In the thermal consolidation the refractory matrixregion(s) from the engineered granules form grains of the refractorymatrix 66 a and the CAS additive region(s) from the engineered granulesform the CAS additives 66 b which are dispersed between the refractorymatrix grains. The term “thermal consolidation” or variations thereofrefers to a process by which the constituents of a coating are joinedtogether to form the coating. In one example, the thermal consolidationis by a thermal spray process. The method 72 may further include a heattreatment of the as-deposited coating. For instance, the heat treatmentmay facilitate transport of the CAS additive 66 b to the grainboundaries described below, as well as into any porosity of the coating.

The following is a non-limiting working example of a thermal sprayprocess that may be used. The engineered granules are deposited onto asubstrate that is located about 4 inches from a plasma spray gun nozzle.The granules are fed through a thermal spray system at a rate of 2-3lbs/hr using an argon carrier gas. The granules are introduced into a 42kW argon/hydrogen plasma and deposited onto the substrate at a surfacespeed of 30 ft/min. The granules sufficiently soften or melt to form thecoating 66/166.

In another example, the thermal consolidation is by a slurry coating andsintering process. For instance, the engineered granules are firstprovided to the substrate via an aqueous or non-aqueous slurrycontaining about 10 to 50 vol % of the granules. The slurry may containan organic binder, inorganic binder, dispersants or other modifiers suchas plasticizers. The slurry is coated on the substrate by one of slipcasting, spin coating, slurry spraying, tape casting, aerosol jetspraying or other suitable method. The slurry coating is dried andthermally treated to a temperature sufficient to form the coating66/166. The thermal treatment may comprise firing in a high temperaturefurnace and may include a binder burnout step, a pre-sintering step. Thefurnace thermal treatment may be conducted in air, inert, or reactiveatmospheres, or vacuum, at temperatures up to 1500° C. or higher,depending on the thermal stability of the substrate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a representative portion of an example coating 266produced in accordance with the method 72. The coating 266 has anengineered microstructure 74 that includes grains 74 a that make up therefractory matrix 66 a. The grains 74 a border each other at grainboundaries 76, and the CAS additives 66 b are dispersed in the grainboundaries 76 between the grains 74 a. A grain 74 a may be a singulargrain with a definitive boundary or a region of multiple grains (i.e.,sub-grains) with a definitive perimeter boundary delimited by theboundaries of the sub-grains. For instance, a grain 74 a may be producedfrom a “splat” or region of multiple “splats” of molten or partiallymolten material deposited during thermal spray.

As used herein the term “engineered” refers to a deliberate ormanipulated arrangement of structures relative to each other, as opposedto a random arrangement of the structures. For an engineered granule,the structures are compositional regions that are in a deliberate ormanipulated arrangement relative to each other. For an engineeredmicrostructure, the structures are compositional regions, grains,phases, and/or constituents that are in a deliberate or manipulatedarrangement relative to each other. Here, the engineered microstructure74 results from the engineered granules, i.e., the granules arestructured to control the microstructure.

The engineered microstructure 74 facilitates resistance to infiltrationof the deposits 70. Deposits may wick into a coating via grainboundaries or porosity in the coating. In a thermal spray process, whenusing blends of conventional, loose feedstock particles of differentcompositions, the particles (particularly relatively small particles inrelatively small amounts) can agglomerate or segregate. This isespecially true for blends of particles of differing sizes, shapes, anddensities. The agglomerates or segregated particles prevent a gooddispersing and, as a result, the different compositions of the particlesare not well dispersed in the final coating. In particular, this maydebit performance of a silicate-resistant barrier coating, whereinadditive particles that may be intended to hinder infiltration thoughgrain boundaries end up as relatively large isolated agglomerate regionsin the coating, leaving the grain boundaries substantially open forinfiltration by the deposits. In contrast, through use of engineeredgranules to produce the engineered microstructure 74, the CAS additive66 b is well-dispersed through the grain boundaries 76, therebyenhancing the blocking effect of the CAS additive 66 b.

The engineered granules used in the method 72 may be of one or moredifferent configuration types, each of which is an aggregate of at leastone refractory matrix region and at least one CAS additive regionattached with the at least one refractory matrix region. Theaforementioned regions may be particles of either the refractory matrixmaterial or the CAS additive material, coatings of either the refractorymatrix material or the CAS additive material, or regions that areproduced from films, suspensions, or the like.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example first type of engineered granule 78, whichis a core/shell granule. The core/shell granule 78 in this example isformed from a coarse core particle 78 a that is a refractory matrixparticle. A refractory matrix particle is a particle that is composed ofone or more constituents that will make up the refractory matrix 66 a.There are a plurality of fine shell particles 78 b attached on thecoarse core particle 78 a. The fine shell particles 78 b are CASadditive particles. A CAS additive particle is a particle that iscomposed of one or more constituents that will make up the CAS additive66 b, although most typically the CAS additive particle will be composedof all of the constituents of the CAS additive 66 b.

The coarse core particle 78 a is generally substantially larger inparticle size than the fine shell particle 78 b so that the coarse coreparticle 78 a can serve as a support for many of the fine shellparticles 78 b. As an example, the coarse core particle 78 a has aparticle size of greater than 10 micrometers, and the shell particle 78b has a size of less than 5 micrometers, such as 1-2 micrometers. Infurther examples, the coarse core particle 78 a has a maximum particlesize of no greater than 150 micrometers and minimum particle size of noless than 45 micrometers. In another embodiment, the coarse coreparticle 78 a has a particle size of 15 micrometers to 45 micrometers. Auseful size range may also be described by mesh sizes, in which coarsecore particles 78 a have a size of −100 mesh/+325 mesh. The resultingcore/shell granule 78 thus has a granule size that is somewhat largerthan the particle size of the coarse core particle 78 a. Such a granulesize may facilitate the thermal spray process, as sizes under 10micrometers, such as under 5 micrometers, tend to challenge the flow ofstarting materials in the thermal spray process. Particle size may bemeasured using ASTM B822: Standard Test Method for Particle SizeDistribution of Metal Powders and Related Compounds by Light Scattering.

The fine shell particles 78 b are attached on the outer surface of thecoarse core particle 78 a. During thermal processing, such as thermalspraying, the attachment of the fine shell particles 78 b on the coarsecore particle 78 a limits the fine shell particles 78 b fromagglomerating and segregating to thereby maintain the dispersion of thefine shell particles 78 b. As a result, the fine shell particles 78 bremain dispersed between the coarse core particles 78 a as they aredeposited into the substrate 62 such that in the consolidated state theCAS additive 66 b formed by the fine shell particles 78 b resides in thegrain boundaries 76 between the grains 74 a formed by the coarse coreparticles 78 b in the engineered microstructure 74.

The core/shell granules 78 can be provided for the method 72 aspre-fabricated core/shell granules 78. Alternatively, the core/shellgranules 78 can be provided for the method 72 by preparing thecore/shell granules 78 from starting powders of the coarse coreparticles 78 a and fine shell particles 78 b. For example, the fineshell particles 78 b can be attached on the coarse core particles 78 ausing a granulating technique such as mechanical mixing, acousticmixing, spray drying or wet chemical or vapor deposition techniques. Asshown, the granules 78 may then be used in a thermal spray to depositthe coating 266, which corresponds to step 72 b of the method 72.

The following are non-limiting examples that can be used to attach thefine shell particles 78 b on the coarse core particles 78 a. Acousticmixing techniques may be utilized whereby dry blends of coarse particles78 a and fine shell particles 78 b are provided in a suitable containerand placed in an acoustic mixer. The mixer is operated at a frequency of60 Hz, generating a mixing force of up to 100 times the gravitationforce (e.g. 100 g's), with mixing times typically on the order of a fewminutes. The fine shell particles 78 b are bound to the coarse particles78 a via electrostatic forces. Small amounts of liquid, including anorganic or inorganic binder, may optionally be used to furtherfacilitate bonding of the fine shell particles 78 b to the coarseparticles 78 a.

FIG. 9 illustrates a variation of a core/shell granule 178 that issomewhat similar to the granule 78. In this example, rather than thefine shell particles 78 b (or alternatively in addition to the fineshell particles 78 b), the shell is provided by a shell coating 178 b.The shell coating 178 b may be applied or deposited onto the coarse coreparticle 78 a by vapor deposition and results in a continuous solidshell surrounding the coarse core particle 78 a. The techniques forapplying the shell coating 178 b onto the coarse core particles 78 a arenot particularly limited, but may include fluidized bed chemical vapordeposition or atomic layer deposition. Additionally, the shell coating178 b may be composed of all of the constituents of the CAS additive 66b. However, in alternative examples, the shell coating 178 b may bemulti-layered and include individual layers of one or more of theconstituents of the CAS additive 66 b, such as a layer of CaO, a layerof Al2O3, a layer SiO₂, or layers of combinations of two of theseconstituents mixed together.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example second type of engineered granule 80,which is a mixed granule. As shown, the mixed granule 80 is formed froma plurality of refractory matrix particles 80 a and a plurality of CASadditive particles 80 b attached with the refractory matrix particles 80a. The CAS additive particles 80 b may be composed of one or moreconstituents that will make up the CAS additive 66 b. For instance, asingle CAS additive particle 80 b may contain all of the constituentsthat will make up the CAS additive 66 b. In another example, the CASadditive particles 80 b are individual constituents of the CAS additive66 b. For instance, one CAS additive particle 80 b is CaO and anotherCAS additive particle is SiO₂. In further examples, the individualconstituents may be in the form of nitrates and carbonates of calcium,aluminum, and/or silica. As an example, the refractory matrix particles80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 b are substantially similar insize, to facilitate good mixing and inter-dispersion. For instance, therefractory matrix particles 80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 b areboth less than 10 micrometers, such as less than 5 micrometers or in therange of 0.5-5 micrometers.

The refractory matrix particles 80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 bare attached together in the granules 80. During thermal processing,such as thermal spraying, the attachment between the refractory matrixparticles 80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 b limits the CASadditive particles 80 b from agglomerating or segregating to therebymaintain the dispersion of the CAS additive particles 80 b. As a result,the CAS additive particles 80 b remain dispersed among or local to therefractory matrix particles 80 a as they are deposited into thesubstrate 62 such that in the consolidated state the CAS additive 66 bformed by the CAS additive particles 80 b resides in the grainboundaries 76 between the grains 74 a formed by the refractory matrixparticles 80 a in the engineered microstructure 74.

Like the core/shell granules 78, the mixed granules 80 can bepre-fabricated for the method 72 or prepared from starting powders. Forexample, the mixed granules 80 can be prepared using a spray dryingtechnique in which starting powders of the refractory matrix particles80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 b are mixed in a slurry with acarrier fluid and then spray dried. Optionally, the spray drying may befollowed by a sintering step to further consolidate the granules 80prior to the thermal consolidation at step 72 b of the method 72.

The following is a non-limiting example that can be used to attach therefractory matrix particles 80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 b toform the granules 80. The refractory matrix particles 80 a and CASadditive particles 80 b may be formulated in an aqueous or non-aqueousslurry containing on the order of 10 to 50 vol % of the granules 80. Theslurry may contain an organic binder, inorganic binder, dispersants orother modifiers such as plasticizers to facilitate the appropriateslurry viscosity for formation of the granules 80. The slurry isatomized in a spray drier using, for example, a pressure or rotaryatomizer, with atomization pressures and rotation speeds selected toachieve the desired granule size distribution. Slurry feed rates andspray drying temperatures also influence granule formation, with typicalgas inlet temperatures being between about 200-400° C. and outlettemperatures less than 160° C. The various size fractions of granules 80may be collected in a chamber or cyclone collection unit, with thecoarser granules 80 collected in the former and finer granules 80collected in the latter.

The refractory matrix particles 80 a and the CAS additive particles 80 bcan also be attached to form the granules 80 using a colloidaldispersion or solution technique. For example, colloidal silica,solutions of calcium nitrate and aluminum nitrates, or any metal nitratesolutions that contain the same metal as the refractory matrix may beused. Examples include, but are not limited to, hafnium nitrate,zirconium nitrate, rare earth metal nitrates, or combination thereof.

FIG. 11 illustrates another example second type of engineered granule180. In this example, the mixed granule 180 is formed from a pluralityof refractory matrix particles 180 a, a plurality of auxiliaryrefractory matrix particles 180 c, and the plurality of CAS additiveparticles 80 b attached with the particles 180 a/180 c. The refractorymatrix particles 180 a are composed of one or more constituents of therefractory matrix 66 a and the auxiliary refractory matrix particles 180c are composed or one or more constituents of the refractory matrix 66 athat differ in composition from those in the particles 180 a. Forexample, the particles 180 a are composed of HfO₂ and the particles 180c are composed of SiO₂. It is to be understood that the compositions ofthe particles 180 a/180 c may be selected from any of the constituentsdisclosed herein, such as zirconia (ZrO₂), hafnia (HfO₂), hafniumsilicate, zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earth oxides,mullite, silica (SiO₂), aluminum oxide, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 12 demonstrates a variation that can be used in the thermal sprayprocess. In the prior examples, the granules may contain all of theconstituents of the coating 266. In the illustrated example, however, atleast one constituent of the refractory matrix 66 a is excluded from thegranule 80. The excluded constituent is provided as separate, looseauxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c. The granules 80 and theauxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c are then co-sprayed in thethermal spray process, such as by premixing the granules 80 and theauxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c or by mixing the granules 80and the auxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c in the thermal spraystream. The composition of the auxiliary refractory matrix particles 280c may be one or more of the constituents of the refractory matrix 66 a,such as zirconia (ZrO₂), hafnia (HfO₂), hafnium silicate, zirconiumsilicate, rare earth silicates, rare earth oxides, mullite, silica(SiO₂), aluminum oxide, or combinations thereof.

The use of the separate auxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c mayalso permit an additional parameter of control in forming the coating266. For instance, the amount of the granules 80 and/or amount of theauxiliary refractory matrix particles 280 c provided during the thermalspraying may be adjusted in order to adjust the relative amounts of theconstituents that are deposited. By adjusting the amounts during thermalspraying, a graded composition of the coating 266 is produced. Further,additional auxiliary refractory matrix particles of one or more otherconstituents can be used to provide graded compositions of multipleconstituents. Thus, the amounts of the zirconia (ZrO₂), hafnia (HfO₂),hafnium silicate, zirconium silicate, rare earth silicates, rare earthoxides, mullite, silica (SiO₂), aluminum oxide, or combinations thereofmay be varied in the coating 266 to provide a gradual grading in thethrough-thickness or along the plane of the coating 266.

The nature of the attachment between particles in the afore-describedgranules can also be varied and manipulated. For example, the attachmentmay be by sintering, by electrostatic force, or by a binder. FIG. 13illustrates a sintered attachment 82 between particles 82 a/82 b, whichmay be any of the afore-mentioned particles. In the sintered attachment82, the particles 82 a/82 b coalesce and densify, thereby intimatelybonding the particles 82 a/82 b together. As an example, after forminggranules, the granules may be heated to a sintering temperature in air,vacuum, or an inert atmosphere that is substantially non-reactive withthe particles 82 a/82 b, wherein the particles 82 a/82 b diffuse andcoalesce.

FIG. 14 illustrates an electrostatic attachment 182 between particles182 a/182 b, which may be any of the aforementioned particles.

FIG. 15 illustrates a binder attachment 282 between particles 282 a/282b, which may be any of the afore-mentioned particles. The binderattachment 282 includes a binder 284 that bonds or adheres to theparticles 282 a/282 b together. For example, the binder 284 is anorganic binder that eventually burns off, such as during thermalspraying. Additionally or alternatively, the binder 284 is inorganic,such as colloidal silica. In this case, rather than burning off, thebinder may incorporate into the coating 266. For example, an inorganicbinder is selected to be compatible with one or more constituents of thecoating 266. For instance, for a coating 266 that includes silica, thecolloidal silica is compatible because it incorporates with the silicaalready present in the coating 266. The binder 284 may include othertypes of oxides or other inorganic compounds such as nitrates,phosphates, or carbonates of calcium, aluminum, hafniun, zirconium, rareearth metals. If a carbonate, the carbonate would decompose to oxidesunder the high temperatures during thermal spraying.

The examples disclosed herein may be used to tailor the performance ofthe silicate-resistant barrier coatings. For instance, there are a rangeof compositions disclosed that may be used to tailor the composition ofthe silicate-resistant barrier coating to achieve a desired performancegoal for silicate-resistance, as well as other goals, such as thermalexpansion. As also discussed, the range of compositions may also be usedto tailor the silicate-resistant barrier coating to be equilibrated witha target deposit composition. And finally, the exemplary methods offabricating the silicate-resistant barrier coating may be used tofurther enhance silicate-resistance via the engineered microstructure.The examples thus enable newfound flexibility in designing thesilicate-resistant barrier coating to meet specific challenges.

Although a combination of features is shown in the illustrated examples,not all of them need to be combined to realize the benefits of variousembodiments of this disclosure. In other words, a system designedaccording to an embodiment of this disclosure will not necessarilyinclude all of the features shown in any one of the Figures or all ofthe portions schematically shown in the Figures. Moreover, selectedfeatures of one example embodiment may be combined with selectedfeatures of other example embodiments.

The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature.Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may becomeapparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart fromthis disclosure. The scope of legal protection given to this disclosurecan only be determined by studying the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A coating fabrication method comprising:providing engineered granules, wherein each said engineered granule isan aggregate of: at least one refractory matrix region, and at least onecalcium aluminosilicate additive region (CAS additive region) attachedwith the at least one refractory matrix region; and thermallyconsolidating the engineered granules on a substrate to form asilicate-resistant barrier coating, wherein in the thermal consolidationthe at least one refractory matrix region from the engineered granulesform grains of a refractory matrix of the silicate-resistant barriercoating and the at least one CAS additive region from the engineeredgranules form CAS additives that are dispersed in grain boundariesbetween the grains.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein eachsaid engineered granule is a mixed granule that has a plurality of therefractory matrix regions and a plurality of the CAS additive regionsattached with the plurality of refractory matrix regions.
 3. The methodas recited in claim 1, wherein each said engineered granule is acore/shell granule in which the at least one refractory matrix region isa coarse core particle and the at least one CAS additive region is aplurality of fine shell particles attached on the coarse core particle.4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each said engineeredgranule is a core/shell granule in which the at least one refractorymatrix region is a coarse core particle and the at least one CASadditive region is a shell coating attached on the coarse core particle.5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each said engineeredgranule is selected from a mixed granule, a core/shell granule, orcombinations thereof, wherein the mixed granule has a plurality of therefractory matrix regions and a plurality of the CAS additive regionsattached with the plurality of refractory matrix regions, and thecore/shell granule in which the at least one refractory matrix region isa coarse core particle and the at least one CAS additive region isselected from a plurality of fine shell particles attached on the coarsecore particle and a shell coating on the coarse core particle.
 6. Themethod as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one refractory matrixregion is selected from zirconia, hafnia, hafnium silicate, zirconiumsilicate, rare earth silicates, rare earth oxides, mullite, silica,aluminum oxide and combinations thereof, and the at least one CASadditive region includes SiO₂, AlO_(1.5), and CaO.
 7. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein the substrate is a ceramic matrix compositecomposed of silicon carbide fibers in a silicon carbide matrix.
 8. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one CAS additiveregion is attached with the at least one refractory matrix region bysintering.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least oneCAS additive region is attached with the at least one refractory matrixregion by electrostatic force.
 10. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the at least one CAS additive region is attached with the atleast one refractory matrix region by a binder.
 11. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the at least one refractory matrix regionhas a size of greater than 10 micrometers, and the at least one CASadditive region has a size of less than 5 micrometers.
 12. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the at least one refractory matrix regionhas a size of less than 5 micrometers, and the at least one CAS additiveregion has a size of less than 5 micrometers.
 13. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein each said engineered granule additionally includesat least one auxiliary refractory matrix region attached with the atleast one refractory matrix region and the at least one CAS additiveregion, and in the thermal consolidation the refractory matrix regionand the auxiliary refractory matrix region form the grains of therefractory matrix of the silicate-resistant barrier coating.
 14. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the thermal consolidation includesthermally consolidating the engineered granules with auxiliaryrefractory matrix regions, and the refractory matrix region of theengineered granules and the auxiliary refractory matrix regions form thegrains of the refractory matrix of the silicate-resistant barriercoating.
 15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the providing ofthe engineered granules includes forming the at least one refractorymatrix region and the at least one CAS additive region into theaggregate.